Stopper and fastening for bottles, jars, casks, or other vessels.



No. 636,(l73. Patented Oct. 3|, |899.

` .L .L sHuTTLEwomH. STDPPEB AND FASTENING FR BAUTTLES, JARS', CASKS, 0B OTHER VESSELS.

(Applicatiim i'ea Dec. 2, 159s.) (No Modal.)

me nonms PETERS coA, snoraurno., wAsHmG'rcN. o. c.

UNITED STATES YPATENT VlrEroE.

JAMES JOHNSON SHUTTLEWOETH, OF LAUEISTON EYDE, NEW SOUTH WALES.

STOPPER AND FASTENINGTOR BOTTLES, JARS, CASKS,OR OTHER yVESSELS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,073, dated octoberV 31, 1899. Application inea December 22, 189s. serial No. 700,072. (No man.)

To CLZZ whom it may oon/cern:

Be it known that I, JAMES JOHNSON SHUT- TLEWORTH, architect, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Lauriston Ryde, near Sydney, in the British Colony of New South Wales, have invented new and useful Improved Stoppers and Fastenings for Bottles, Jars, Oasks, or other Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved Stoppers and fastenings for bottles, jars, casks, and other vessels which have been speciallydevised in order to prevent such vessels being fraudulentlyreused. lThese improved stoppers and fastenings for bottles, jars, casks, and other vessels have as their essential feature two or more wires-or indestructible cords fastened during manufacture in the body of n the vessel or in some object which cannot be removed from within the vessel, which wires are adapted to be knotted together over a keeper on the outside of the vessel and have their ends cut o close to the knot. When thesewires are broken (oreven untied) to release the keeper and enable the vessel to be opened, they are tooshort to be used again in retying. In addition to this essential feafure it is always preferred that the keeperA Should have upon or under it a seal or other mark of genuinenessl and that the irremovable object should bear the same, and it is sometimes preferred that the knot of the fastening-wires should be buried in a glass seal orin transparent cement or under a removable protector on the outside.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood, reference will now be made to the drawings herewith, which show a variety of Stoppers and fastenings all having common to them the essential'feature of this invention before mentioned.

Figure lis a vertical section of a bottleneck and stopper, showin g my invention. Fig. 2 isa plan view of Fig. 1.. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modified construction. Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the construction shown in Fig. l.

Figs. 1,2, and 5 show sectional elevation, plan, and horizontal section, respectively, of the neck E of abottle, showing a cork or stopper D, retained in place by a glass keeper B, fastened by wires A secured to lugs A in the body of the neck E during manufacture. When the bottle is filled, the cork D is driven in,.lling the neck E and bulging in the upper enlargement E. A seal C or a disk of metal orv paper, or other material bearing a brand, is placed over the cork, so that an inscription or other mark may be read from the top through the glass (transparent) keeper B, which being put in place, then wires A are threaded through holes B' through it. Being drawn tight, these wires A are knotted centrally of the stopper and the ends out Off as close to the knot as possible. Said knot is then buried in wax, lead, or cement Or the like, but preferably glass, in undercut recess A2. The mark on the seal or disk C may always be read through the stopper B, and when once this seal (or disk) is destroyed in drawing the cork it cannot again be used as a guarantee of the genuineness of the contents of thebottle. Further, the wires A must be broken to remove the keeper B, so as to get at the cork D, and being once broken (or even untied) they cannot be used a second time, for they wouldbe t'oo short for tying tpgether again. It will be seen, therefore, that once the keeper B is removed, though the bottle may be utilized forv other purposes, yet it cannot againbe used with a guarantee that its contents are genuine.

Figs. 3 and 4 are section and plan, respectively, ot a modification of the stopper and fastening shown in Figs. l, 2, and 5, where all the parts are identical and marked with the same letters of reference; but the Wires A are not fixed to lugs A', but simply buried in the body of the neck, and instead of being threaded through holes in the keeper B pass up in nicks (marked with the same letter, B)

,lll its edge.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said'invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I clairn is.-

1. The combination with a bottle having wires sealed in the glass of its neck, of a cork inserted in saidneck, a disk resting upon said cork, a keeper over which the wires pass and IOO sealed in the glass of the neck and having their ends passed over the keeper and united over the said recess, and a seal for holding the ends ot' the Wires together and in said recess, 15 all substantially as specified.

Dated this 14th day of November, 1898.

JAMES JOHNSON SHUTILEWORTI.

Witnesses:

FRED WALSH, PERCY NEWELL. 

